Mbombela overview
Mpumalanga’s capital has huge potential In March last year, we visited Mbombela to get an idea of what is happening in terms of opportunities in the city and the region. A year on, Property Review attended a SAPOA Post-Budget Breakfast sponsored by Halls Properties, Nedbank and WDT Attorneys. The networking breakfast afforded us the opportunity to talk to some of SAPOA’s regional council members to get an overview of what is happening in the city By Mark Pettipher To read last year’s roundup, go to bit.ly/2w5xlDY
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his year I decided to drive up to Mbombela – not because of the coronavirus but because the prices of flights from OR Tambo to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport are extortionate. I’ve not driven to Mbombela before, and I’d heard the roads were good. The resulting drive was pretty straightforward. You can see that getting produce to market from Nelspruit (as it was previously known) is not an issue, and the road further to the Mozambique border is equally good. I left Johannesburg on the N12, which eventually took me to the N4. The 345km drive took me a little over three-and-a-half hours. On entering the city, I could see by the cleanliness of the streets that the City Improvement Districts (CIDs) are working well. It’s important for a first impression to be positive, and thanks to the three CIDs operating in Mbombela, visitors are encouraged to believe that the city has great potential. After the Post-Budget Breakfast, members of SAPOA’s Mbombela Regional Council joined me in a conversation. I would like to thank outgoing Chairman and Kellaprince Property Group Managing Director Derek Todd, Kellaprince founder Keith Kellar, Bennie van der Merwe of Umsebe Development Planners, Leon Doyer of WDT Attorneys, incoming Chairperson Craig McFadyen of Oriprops and Sabine Walker, Halls Properties Development Manager, for their valuable insight.
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SOUTH AFRICAN PROPERTY REVIEW – APRIL 2020
